The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Math. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kealakehe Elementary School
Kealakehe Elementary School sits in Kailua-Kona on the west side of Hawaii Island, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the statewide Hawaii Department of Education. It is a large elementary campus for its grade band, with a sizable enrollment spread fairly evenly across the grade levels. The school draws from a community where tourism is the dominant economic engine, and the town has grown rapidly over the past two decades, shifting from a small fishing village into a resort and commercial hub centered on Ali'i Drive and Kailua Bay.
The student body reflects the island's cultural mix. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Asian and white students each represent smaller portions. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a population with considerable economic need in a community where the cost of living is high. The area's housing market is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents well above what most mainland families would encounter. For families considering a move here, housing affordability is a real factor that sits alongside the school decision.
On state assessments, Kealakehe Elementary's results tell a mixed story. In English language arts, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grade cluster in the low-to-mid twenties, with fourth grade showing the weakest result. Math proficiency starts higher in third grade, dips in fourth, and falls further in fifth grade, where only a small fraction of students reached proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows a similarly modest proficiency level. Participation rates are consistently high, which means nearly all eligible students were tested and the results give a reliable picture of where the school stands. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school what supports and interventions are in place for students who are not yet proficient, particularly in the upper elementary grades where the math results are most concerning.
We looked for multi-year trend data to see whether proficiency has been moving in a particular direction, but only a single year of results was available, so we cannot characterize a trend. English learner and special education enrollment figures were not reported in the data we received, so we cannot describe those populations here. Title I status was also not specified. The school does not have a graduation rate, and that is expected because it serves only elementary grades.
Kailua-Kona itself is a spread-out community with a walkable oceanfront core along Ali'i Drive, where shops, historic sites like Hulihe'e Palace and Mokuaikaua Church, and the Kailua-Kona Pier anchor the tourist economy. Beyond that core, the area extends into residential and commercial strips. Publicly reported sources describe the town as the center of commerce on the island's west side, with a real estate and construction boom driven by tourism and outside investment. The Kona coffee industry, cultivated on the slopes of nearby volcanoes, adds a distinct agricultural identity. Seasonal events like the Ironman World Championship bring waves of visitors and temporary economic activity.
We searched for recent district-level changes, policy shifts, or curriculum initiatives from the Hawaii Department of Education that might affect this school, but found little of specific lasting impact in the available sources, so we left that out rather than guess.
For a family weighing Kealakehe Elementary, the school offers a large, diverse campus grounded in the local Hawaiian community, with near-universal assessment participation and a student population that mirrors the island's multicultural character. The academic results, though, are a soft spot, with proficiency below what most families would hope for across all tested grades and subjects. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students working below grade level and what the classroom experience looks like day to day before making a decision.
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